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“How could she be okay with you seeing other women?” I muse. I don’t know if I’m asking him as much as I’m trying to understand myself.
“We weren’t dating. It was more about the convenience. I want exclusivity with you. It’s why I asked for it, hoping you would want the same.”
I rub my temple. “When was the last time you were together?”
“It’s been months.”
“How many months?”
“Before I went to Peru. It’s been more than six and after that, we agreed that it would be best to stay on the friend side of the line.”
“Why, what happened?”
“It ran its course. We’re better as friends.”
I nod. Absorbing that information. I drop another star on the counter. “And she’s going to be at the charity event in New York.”
“Yes. She works for Mills Hotels. She’ll be covering the event.”
“Does she know about us? What exactly are we?” I whisper the last part.
“I’ve been trying to get in touch with her, but I’ll talk to her before the event. Her team is aware of the situation on social media, and they’re going to set the record straight. As for exactly what we are, I consider us a couple, and when I introduce you to friends and associates, I would like to be able to call you my girlfriend.” He swallows thickly, glancing away before his gaze returns to me. “I’m so sorry this happened, London, and that you were blindsided. That wasn’t my intention. I should have realized that photos of us together would invariably garner media attention. I didn’t anticipate the backlash. I haven’t had someone in my life that I’ve dated publicly in a very long time. You’re kind of a big deal.” He smiles wryly. It makes him look boyish and ridiculously handsome.
“I still don’t understand how she could be okay with you seeing other people.” I don’t think I’m successful at keeping my disdain out of my voice.
“She and I were comfortable with each other, and it made sense until it didn’t anymore. But she and I don’t have the emotional connection you and I share.”
I nod, but I honestly can’t imagine being okay with sharing Jackson, which I suppose tells me everything I need to know about my feelings for him.
He takes my hand in his. “Are we okay?”
“Yes. I think so. I just didn’t know what to think of all the homewrecker messages.” All I can hope is that Selene’s public post about the status of her relationship with Jackson, dispelling the myth that I’m a homewrecker and a boyfriend stealer, will calm her rabid fans.
“Those never should have happened. Selene’s fans can be very protective of her. I should have taken into consideration how much media attention my dating you would create.”
“I guess I should have expected it as well. You’re basically famous. And in the eyes of the public, this must look very much like a Cinderella story.”
“Except you don’t need a fairy godmother to turn you into a beautiful princess.” He squeezes my hand. “Please tell me if you think this is going to be too much for you, London. I’m already in over my head with you, and I don’t want to put you in any situations that are going to jeopardize that. My life is very much public, no matter how much I would like it to be otherwise. I can do my best to insulate you from the media, but my lack of public relationships has always been fuel for speculation.”
“Which makes me a point of interest.”
“Correct. If you don’t think you’re ready, you can skip the charity event and we can wait on officially going public with our relationship.”
I shake my head. “I don’t want to wait. I can handle it.” I’m not sure if that’s true, but I don’t want to hide what we have either.
“Are you sure?” His expression is both hopeful and nervous.
“I’m sure.” I squeeze his hand. “How many times have you been let down by the women you dated in the past?”
“My life isn’t typical, and it can be a challenge to be my partner.”
“Everyone can be a challenge.”
“You know what I mean.”
I nod. I do know what he means. Or at least I’ve had a taste of it with this whole hate-message shitshow. “I promise I’ll tell you if I’m struggling in any way with the attention.”
“I have a team watching social media and addressing the threats. I don’t know how you’d feel about additional security measures, but if you’re okay with it, I’d like to have your system looked at to make sure Spark House is secure enough. And I think it would be wise to make sure visitors provide identification if they’re working on site.”
“Is that really necessary?” I ask, taken aback.
“I’d rather err on the side of caution when it comes to you and your safety,” he says gently.
